Saturday, January 7, 2012

Watercolor Nails

Yesterday afternoon, I set up a poll on the Chalkboard Nails Facebook page to have you guys help choose my manicure. But it was a secret! I only offered options A and B, and then in my head I knew which manicure corresponded to which. This was the winning choice!

It is a surprisingly easy look to achieve. I would recommend watching the Beautygeeks video to see it done "in action," but I'll also do a quick run down of the process for you. Rebecca also has a tutorial on her post about this technique.

Paint your nails a base color. Top that with two coats of topcoat to make sure that when you use acetone to make the watercolored look later, your base doesn't get ruined.

Pick out your first color. Place a couple small dots of it on your nail, in random locations.

Take a medium sized brush (I used a makeup brush, but a watercolor brush would work well here) and dip it in acetone. You don't need a lot of acetone, but you don't want your brush to only be damp, either.

Dab your acetone-d brush onto the small dots of polish. Continue to dab the brush around to achieve the watercolor look that you like.

This is a really really cool look, guys. Especially in person!! It's unique and I can guarantee you will get a lot of people asking you about it and being interested in what your nails have got goin' on.

I hope you enjoyed this design and I also hope you give it a shot yourself! I promise it is quite simple to achieve! :)

At a hard look, it looks like the rounds are floating! And I like that your base seems darker than just plain white like the other gals did. Wonder if a black base and neons would work for this? Great job! I'll be trying it soon!

@Anonymous - I think the acetone works so well because it affects the polish so easily. Regular remover has other add ins that may affect the way the polish spreads. Give it a try though! You never know!

Hi! I super love this design and just wanted to let you know I put a link to it on my blog : http://shadesofsunshine-sic.blogspot.com/2012/01/birthday-blog-proper-introduction_18.htmlDidn't hyperlink the photo though! Keep making awesome nails!